Basketball Hall of Famer Al Attles has passed away at the age of 87. The six-foot point guard was a Warriors lifer. His 11-year playing career all took place as a member of the Warriors from 1960-61 until 1970-71. They were the Philadelphia Warriors in his first two seasons and the San Francisco Warriors in his last nine. He became player-coach at the end of the 1969-70 season and was a full-time player-coach in 1970-71. Attles remained the Warriors head coach (became known as Golden State in 1971-72) through the 1982-83 season.
The Golden State Warriors mourn the loss of franchise legend Alvin Attles, who passed away yesterday at the age of 87.
Alvin leaves behind a profound legacy within the game of basketball and the Bay Area community, but especially as a family man and humanitarian. We mourn his… pic.twitter.com/4QJ6XeiMwF
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) August 21, 2024
Our deepest condolences go out to Attles’ friends and family.
Basketball Hall Of Famer Al Attles Passes Away At The Age Of 87
Playing Career With The Warriors
Born in Newark, New Jersey, Attles played collegiately for North Carolina A&T. The Warriors selected Attles in the fifth round (39th overall) in the 1960 NBA Draft. While Attles never won a championship in his playing career, he helped guide the Warriors to the NBA Finals twice. In 1964, they lost to the Boston Celtics, and in 1967, they fell to the Philadelphia 76ers. Altogether, Attles played in 62 playoff games for the Warriors.
In four different regular seasons, Attles finished with double-digit averages in scoring. His career-high of 33 points came on February 29, 1964 against the New York Knicks. Attles recorded a triple-double of 18 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists on December 6, 1968 against the Seattle SuperSonics. In 711 career regular season games, Attles posted averages of 8.9 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 3.5 assists.
Championship Head Coach For Warriors
The absolute pinnacle of Attles’ basketball career came in the 1974-75 season as a head coach. That season saw the Golden State Warriors crowned NBA champions. Golden State swept the Washington Bullets in the 1975 NBA Finals. It was the franchise’s second title, with the first coming way back in 1947.
Attles finished his head coaching career with a 557-518 record. He led two Warriors teams to 50+ win seasons including a best of 59-23 in 1975-76. As head coach, his Warriors qualified for the playoffs six times. They reached the Western Conference Finals in two other seasons, not counting their championship year.
While he will likely soon be surpassed by Steve Kerr, Attles currently holds the franchise record with his 557 head coaching wins. Kerr, the current head coach, owns 517 wins on his ledger.
Basketball Hall of Famer At Attles
In 2019, Attles was enshrined into the Basketball Hall of Fame as a contributor. He was presented by the best player on his championship team, Basketball Hall of Famer, Rick Barry. His Hall of Fame class also consisted of Carl Braun, Chuck Cooper, Vlade Divac, Bill Fitch, Bobby Jones, Sidney Moncrief, Jack Sikma, Teresa Weatherspoon, and Paul Westphal. It was a long overdue honor for the Warriors legend.
